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Nine months after outlining broad plans to bring more EV models to Europe, Ford Motor Company has shared its intentions to use the move to rebrand itself under a new slogan – “adventurous spirit,” representing American values such as freedom, the outdoors, and of course. large vehicles. Whether European buyers will embrace the American legacy remains to be seen, but Ford’s EV technology will certainly help.
Despite the Ford Motor Company being a staple of American culture, its nearly 120 years in automobiles led to global expansion, including Ford of Europe, founded in the late 60s. Right now, the American automaker’s presence in Europe consists mostly of combustion models, but its EV lineup is starting to catch up.
The Mustang Mach-E crossed the pond in 2021 and has since been joined by the Mach-E GT and E-Transit commercial van. A few years ago, Ford announced a partnership with Volkswagen to use the German automaker’s MEB electric vehicle platform to release an electric crossover in Europe in 2023. Since then, Ford has extended this partnership with VW to develop a second electric vehicle on that platform.
This past March, Ford shared extensive EV plans for Europe that include nine new models by 2024, four of which are passenger cars. Now, Ford Motor has reaffirmed those plans and taken it a step further by pledging to be “more American” in its EV marketing in Europe to sell the “adventurous spirit” the automaker represents in the form of larger crossovers and SUV.
Ford – founded in a country built on turning away from a kingdom to find the freedom to develop its own culture – will now promote its own heritage back to Europe to sell EVs. It’s really not a big deal, funny even, especially when it comes to global marketing. Who doesn’t love Western culture, right?
According to Automotive News EuropeFord intends to use this new launch of new EVs abroad to refresh its marketing on its path to becoming fully electric by 2030. According to the American automaker, the “adventurous spirit” mantra that will build the brand, stands for “freedom, the outdoors, and adventure.”
The new marketing also represents the promotion of crossovers and SUVs instead of long-term compacts such as the Ford Fiesta and Focus – both of which have received expiries in Europe in favor of upcoming EVs. Fiesta customers can switch to the electric Puma, which will be built in Romania and launched in 2024. Its current production facility in Cologne, Germany will also be converted to produce the two aforementioned EVs that will sit atop VW’s MEB platform ( or maybe the MEB+ ?).
Ford’s EV shake-up in Europe also includes changes to its retail network. The automaker plans to move to a direct agency sales model overseas, where Ford invoices customers directly and pays dealerships a flat fee for each sale. According to Ford’s head of marketing in Germany, Christian Weingaertner:
We are taking the opportunity to completely reposition ourselves. Our future models will be more American, and from 2030 they will all be electric.
Ford remains one of the few – if not the only – US automaker that has remained relatively competitive in the European market, but its profitability has suffered in recent years. Similar to its strategy in the US, Ford is looking to phase out its less popular compacts in favor of larger EVs that offer more value and space. That said, this journey won’t come without its own competition of local automakers looking to grow their market share, all while moving toward an all-electric lineup.
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